In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Kistefos is a sculpture park and art museum on the Randselva river at Jevnaker, about 70 kilometres north of Oslo. Its centrepiece is The Twist, a gallery-bridge by the Danish architects Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) that turns 90 degrees mid-span. The full complex, including The Twist, the 1889 pulp mill and the Nybruket gallery, is open from early May to mid-October with adult tickets at NOK 210. The sculpture park stays open all year for NOK 100. Vy express coach VY66 runs from Oslo Bussterminal (NOK 250 one way) and takes 90 minutes.
⚠️ The indoor galleries close from mid-October to late April. The Twist, the indoor exhibitions and the mill are shut in winter. You can still walk the sculpture park, but the VY66 coach does not run, so you need a car or a regional bus via Hønefoss.
Why Kistefos is an architectural and artistic destination
The businessman and collector Christen Sveaas founded Kistefos in 1996 on the site of his family’s wood-pulp company, A/S Kistefos Træsliberi. It has four parts:
| Attraction | What it is |
|---|---|
| The Twist | A 60-metre twisting gallery bridge designed by BIG, showing contemporary art |
| Sculpture park | More than 50 site-specific works, including Kusama, Kapoor, Eliasson and Cragg |
| Wood pulp mill | The preserved 1889 mechanical pulp factory |
| Nybruket Gallery | Temporary solo and thematic exhibitions |
The Twist: engineering and architecture
The Twist opened in September 2019. The 1,000-square-metre building is both an exhibition gallery and a footbridge that completes the circular walking path across both banks of the Randselva.
Layout and illusion
- South entrance (closed gallery): On the southern bank the building is low and opaque, clad in horizontal brushed-aluminium slats. A double-height timber door leads into a windowless gallery with controlled lighting, suited to video, paintings and fragile works.
- The twist: In the centre of the 60-metre span the structure turns 90 degrees. Every cladding panel is straight, but they are fanned like a deck of cards, so the surfaces look curved. As you walk through, the ceiling rolls into a wall and the wall sweeps down into the polished fir floor.
- North end (panorama gallery): On the northern bank the building becomes a glass pavilion. A floor-to-ceiling glass wall looks upriver to the old timber dam and down onto the river eddies.
Even the basement toilets are part of the show: the artist Tony Oursler projected video faces onto polished stone there.
The international sculpture park
More than 50 sculptures stand on both banks, linked by footbridges and gravel forest paths. Almost all are permanent commissions made for the site:
- Yayoi Kusama — Shine of Life: A coloured bronze-and-steel work with polka-dot tendrils rising out of the river pools below the dam.
- Jeppe Hein — Veien til stillhet (The Path to Silence): A water maze of computer-controlled jets that rise and fall around stepping stones. You can reach the dry centre room if you time your steps. Bring a towel and spare clothes for children.
- Anish Kapoor — Cast Mountain: A heavy polished bronze form that reflects the birch trees and sky.
- Tony Cragg — Bent of Mind and Castings: Organic forms in bronze and steel whose outline changes as you walk round them.
- Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen — Tumbling Tacks: Giant blue thumb-tacks scattered across the lawns.
- Ilya Kabakov — The Ball: A metallic sphere suspended high in a forest clearing.
- Elmgreen & Dragset — Forgotten Babies: Figures set into the landscape.
The historic 1889 wood-pulp mill
Consul Anders Sveaas founded A/S Kistefos Træsliberi in 1889. It used the fast water of the Randselva to turn grinding stones that made spruce logs into mechanical wood pulp, exported to British newspaper printers.
Production stopped in 1955 and the factory was sealed, not dismantled, so the machinery survives:
- The factory halls: In the red-brick halls, the iron water turbines, drive belts, sorting screens and hydraulic presses have been restored.
- Demonstrations: Visitors can press consoles to start the original belt transmissions.
Tickets, seasons, and operating hours
Ticket pricing
| Ticket Category | Summer Season (Full Museum) | Off-Season (Sculpture Park Only) |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | NOK 210 | NOK 100 |
| Senior (67+) | NOK 180 | NOK 100 |
| Youth / Student (20–25) | NOK 110 | NOK 50 |
| Children & Teens (0–19) | Free | Free |
| Local Municipal Residents | Free | Free |
Full admission covers The Twist, the pulp mill, the Nybruket gallery and the sculpture grounds. Off-season tickets are paid by QR code or Vipps at the gates.
Operating calendar
- Season: The indoor complex is open from early May (around 2 May) to mid-October (around 17 October), Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00, and daily in July.
- Winter: From mid-October to April the grounds are open for daylight walking, but the galleries, café and other indoor amenities are closed.
Getting to Kistefos from Oslo
Kistefos is in Jevnaker municipality, at the southern tip of Lake Randsfjorden.
Option 1: Express coach (VY66)
In the open season, Vy runs a direct coach from Oslo:
- Departure: Oslo Bussterminal at 10:15, with intermediate boarding stops at Lysaker Station and Sandvika.
- Arrival: Kistefos South Gate at approximately 11:45.
- Return: Departs Kistefos at 17:07, arriving back at Oslo Bussterminal around 18:40.
- Fare: Adult single costs NOK 250 (child single NOK 145); round-trip adult ticket costs NOK 500.
- Important: Buy tickets in advance in the Vy app or on vybuss.no. The coach runs only if seats have been reserved online 24 hours before.
Option 2: Driving
- Route: From central Oslo take the E18 west to Sandvika, then the E16 north past Sollihøgda and Hønefoss to Jevnaker. It is 70 km and takes 60 to 75 minutes.
- Entrances:
- South Gate (Kistefossveien 112): The entrance for arrivals from Oslo, with a large paved car park, EV fast chargers and the main ticket office.
- North Gate (Samsmoveien 41): Across the river, closer to Bergerfoss, also with EV charging.
- Parking: Free for ticket-holding visitors.
Combining Kistefos with Hadeland Glassverk
Hadeland Glassverk, founded in 1762, is 4.5 kilometres north of Kistefos.
A common day plan pairs both:
- Morning at Kistefos (11:45 to 14:00): The Twist, the 2.5-kilometre sculpture loop and the pulp mill.
- Afternoon at Hadeland Glassverk (14:15 to 16:45): Take the local shuttle bus or drive five minutes. Watch glassblowers make crystal vases at the furnaces, visit the glass museum, and eat Norwegian pastries and smoked meats in the old bakery.
- Return to Oslo (16:50 or 17:07): Board the VY66 coach at Hadeland or Kistefos.
Practical visitor advice
- Terrain: The sculpture loop is about 2.5 kilometres of woodland trail, gravel paths and wooden staircases. Wear trainers or walking shoes; heels and leather-soled shoes are unsuitable.
- Food: Kafé Kistefos, in the old timber smithy, serves open sandwiches, soups, cinnamon rolls and coffee. There are picnic tables on the riverbank.
- Photography: Photography without flash or tripod is allowed in The Twist and the sculpture park. Drones are banned across the estate.
- Next steps: day trips from Oslo, 3 days in Oslo and public transport in Oslo.
Common questions
When is Kistefos Museum open?
The galleries, The Twist and the pulp mill are open from early May to mid-October (2 May to 17 October). The outdoor sculpture park can be walked all year with a self-service off-season ticket at NOK 100.
How do you get to Kistefos from Oslo without a car?
Vy express coach VY66 runs from Oslo Bussterminal to Kistefos during the open season. The journey takes about 1 hour 30 minutes; it leaves Oslo at 10:15 and returns in the late afternoon. One-way fares are NOK 250 for adults and NOK 145 for children. Book seats on vybuss.no, because the bus runs only when seats have been reserved.
How much are tickets to Kistefos Museum?
In the main season, full admission is NOK 210 for adults, NOK 180 for seniors and NOK 110 for students and youths aged 20 to 25. Children and teens aged 19 and under go free. The off-season outdoor park ticket is NOK 100.
What is The Twist at Kistefos?
A building by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) that is a bridge, an art gallery and a sculpture in one. It spans 60 metres across the Randselva river, covers 1,000 square metres and twists 90 degrees at its centre.
Can you combine Kistefos with Hadeland Glassverk?
Yes. Hadeland Glassverk is less than five kilometres north in Jevnaker. In summer a local shuttle bus links the glassworks and Kistefos, and the VY66 coach stops at both before returning to Oslo.
